Hair Clip with Hidden Spring

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a hair clip with a hidden spring. The hair clip includes two clamp bodies pivotally joined by a shaft rod. A spring is mounted around the shaft rod to bias two claw clamp portions of the two clamp bodies into a closed position for clipping hair of a user. The spring is hidden inside a connecting base formed on one of the clamp bodies, and therefore the hair clip appearance and safety in use is improved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hair clip and, more particularly, to a hair clip that is easy to assemble and capable of hiding the spring thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

The existing hair clip generally includes two clamp bodies, a spring, and a shaft rod connecting the two clamp bodies and the spring; wherein the spring force allows the two clamp bodies to hold and secure the hair. However, the spring of the existing hair clip is exposed to the exterior of the hair clip, causing ill effect on the hair clip appearance. Moreover, the exposed spring is easily rusted and might injure user's finger by accident. There are some manufacturers placing a cover plate on top of the hair clip to solve the foregoing problem; however, the cover plate cannot hide the spring inside the two clamp bodies completely. Further, additional tools are required to assemble the existing hair clip; this is both time- and human resource-consuming and is also dangerous when the assembling is not operated correctly, as the spring might pop out.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned shortcoming and deficiency of the prior art by providing a hair clip with a hidden spring so that the hair clip appearance is improved and the danger of hand injuries can be avoided. Further, the hair clip can be assembled easily to reduce the manufacturing cost, and the spring of the hair clip will not pop out during assembling.

To achieve the foregoing objective, a hair clip of the present invention includes a first clamp body, a second clamp body, a spring, and a shaft rod. The first clamp body includes a pressing portion and a claw clamp portion extending outwards from the pressing portion of the first clamp body. The first clamp body further includes a connecting base formed on and protruding from an inner surface of the first clamp body. The connecting base includes a through-hole. A positioning groove is formed in an inner end of the connecting base and in communication with the through-hole of the connecting base. The first clamp body further includes a first abutment portion disposed at a side of the connecting base adjacent to the claw clamp portion of the first clamp body. The second clamp body includes a pressing portion and a claw clamp portion extending outwards from the pressing portion of the second clamp body. The second clamp body further includes an inner surface facing the inner surface of the first clamp body. The second clamp body further includes two spaced connection arms between which the connecting base of the first clamp body is received. Each of the two connection arms includes a shaft hole, and one of the two connection arms including a concave groove at an inner side thereof. The second clamp body further includes a second abutment portion disposed at a side of the two connection arms adjacent to the claw clamp portion of the second clamp body. The spring is disposed inside the connecting base of the first clamp body and includes first and second ends. The first and second ends of the spring extend outwards from the through-hole of the connecting base and are inserted into the positioning groove of the first clamp body and the concave groove of the second clamp body respectively. The shaft rod extends through the shaft holes of the second clamp body, the through-hole of the first clamp body, and the spring for pivotally connecting the first clamp body and the second clamp body. The spring biases the claw clamp portions of the first and second clamp bodies into a closed position with the first abutment portion of the first clamp body abutting against the second abutment portion of the second clamp body.

Preferably, an enlarged section is disposed on one of the two shaft holes of the two connection arms, and an end of the shaft rod includes a enlarged head section received in the enlarged section.

The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The illustrative embodiments may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a hair clip according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the hair clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a clamp body of the hair clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the hair clip of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view of the hair clip of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a hair clip according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a hair clip according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A hair clip of a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings and includes a first clamp body 1, a second clamp body 2, a torsion spring 3, and a shaft rod 4. The first clamp body 1 includes a pressing portion 10 and a claw clamp portion 16 extending outwards from the pressing portion 10. A connecting base 11 is disposed on and protrudes from an inner surface 14 of the first clamp body 1. The connecting base 11 includes a laterally disposed through-hole 12 for receiving the torsion spring 3, and a positioning groove 13 is provided in an inner end of the connecting base 11 and in communication with the through-hole 12. A first protruded abutment portion 15 is disposed at a side of connecting base 11 adjacent to the claw clamp portion 16.

The second clamp body 2 includes a pressing portion 20 and a claw clamp portion 26 extending outwards from the pressing portion 20. The second clamp body 2 further includes an inner surface 21 corresponding to the inner surface 14 of the first clamp body 1. Two spaced connection arms 22 and 23 are formed on the inner surface 21 of the pressing portion 20 of the second clamp body 2, and a gap 24 is formed between the two connection arms 22 and 23. The gap 24 has a width slightly longer than the lateral length of the connecting base 11 and allows the connecting base 11 to be received in between the two connection arms 22 and 23. The two connection arms 22 and 23 respectively include aligned shaft holes 222 and 231, wherein the shaft hole 222 has an enlarged section 223 with large caliber. The connection arm 22 includes a concave groove 221 in an inner side thereof (see FIG. 3). A second protruded abutment portion 25 is disposed at a side of the two connection arms 22 and 23 adjacent to the claw clamp portion 26.

The spring 3 includes a first end 31 and a second end 32. The spring 3 is received in the connecting base 11 of the first clamp body 1 with the first and second ends 31 and 32 of the spring 3 extending outwards from the through-hole 12 and being inserted into the positioning groove 13 of the first clamp body 1 and the concave groove 221 of the second clamp body 2 respectively. The shaft rod 4 is a cylinder rod body having an enlarged head section 41 on an end thereof.

To assemble the hair clip of the present invention, place the second clamp body 2 in opposition to the first clamp body 1 with the inner surface 21 of the second clamp body 2 facing the inner surface 14 of the first clamp body 1. Place the connecting base 11 of the first clamp body 1 in between the two connection arms 22 and 23 of the second clamp body 2, align the shaft holes 222 and 231 with the through-hole 12, and position the first and second ends 31 and 32 of the spring 3 into the positioning groove 13 of the connecting base 11 and the concave groove 221 of the connection arm 22 respectively. Then, penetrate the shaft rod 4 through the shaft holes 222 and 231 of the second clamp body 2, the through-hole 12 of the first clamp body 1, and the spring 3 with the head section 41 of the shaft rod 4 being inserted into the enlarged section 223 of the shaft hole 222, pivotally joining the first clamp body 1 and the second clamp body 2 together. After assembling, the spring force of the spring 3 pushes the claw clamp portions 16 and 26 of the first and second clamp bodies 1 and 2 into a closed position with the first abutment portion 15 abutting against the second abutment portion 25 (see FIG. 4).

In practice, users can use two fingers to press on the pressing portions 10 and 20 of the first and second clamp bodies 1 and 2 to open the two claw clamp portions 16 and 26, allowing a lock of gathered hair to be retained by the hair clip of the present invention. And when the pressing force applied on the pressing portions 10 and 20 is removed, the spring force will bias the two claw clamp portions 16 and 26 of the first and second clamp body 1 and 2 to clamp together.

Since the spring 3 is hidden inside the connecting base 11 and the connection arm 22, the appearance of the hair clip is improved, and it is much safer for the users to use the hair clip. Moreover, no additional tools are required to assemble the spring 3, and the hair clip is therefore of easy assembling.

The shape of the first clamp body 1 and the second clamp body 2 is not limited to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5. Please refer to FIGS. 6 and 7, the first clamp body 1 and the second clamp body 2 can be of different styles, allowing the users to choose between different designs according to various needs.

Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. 

1. A hair clip with a hidden spring comprising: a first clamp body including a pressing portion and a claw clamp portion extending outwards from the pressing portion of the first clamp body, with the first clamp body further including a connecting base disposed on and protruding from an inner surface of the first clamp body, with the connecting base including a laterally disposed through-hole, with a positioning groove formed in an inner end of the connecting base and in communication with the through-hole of the connecting base, with a first abutment portion disposed at a side of the connecting base adjacent to the claw clamp portion of the first clamp body; a second clamp body including a pressing portion and a claw clamp portion extending outwards from the pressing portion of the second clamp body, with the second clamp body further including an inner surface facing the inner surface of the first clamp body, with the second clamp body further including two spaced connection arm formed on the inner surface of the pressing portion of the second clamp body, with the connecting base of the first clamp body received between the two connection arms of the second clamp body, with each of the two connection arms including a shaft hole, with one of the two connection arms including a concave groove at an inner side thereof, with a second abutment portion disposed at a side of the two connection arms adjacent to the claw clamp portion of the second clamp body; a spring disposed inside the connecting base of the first clamp body and including first and second ends, with the first and second ends of the spring extending outwards from the through-hole of the connecting base and being inserted into the positioning groove of the first clamp body and the concave groove of the second clamp body respectively; and a shaft rod extending through the shaft holes of the second clamp body, the through-hole of the first clamp body, and the spring, with the shaft rod pivotally connecting the first clamp body and the second clamp body; wherein the spring biases the claw clamp portions of the first and second clamp bodies into a closed position with the first abutment portion of the first clamp body abutting against the second abutment portion of the second clamp body.
 2. The hair clip according to claim 1, with an enlarged section disposed on one of the two shaft holes of the two connection arms, and with one end of the shaft rod including an enlarged head section received in the enlarged section. 